European and UK financial advisers are still bullish about growth prospects for the next 12 months, according to research from Natixis Investment Managers.
Advisers in Europe and UK believe 5% growth is still achievable according to a survey of 1050 financial professionals.
This is despite a double-digit correction in stocks and bonds in the first half of 2022, with inflation also reaching multi-decade highs.
These respondents are also confident their businesses will grow in the next three years with 10% annualised growth expected by European and UK respondents.
To achieve this, professionals are attempting to stimulate market growth via new clients segregated by age with “84% of European financial professionals (93% in the UK) targeting individuals between the age of 50 and 60 while another 54% (86% in the UK) focusing on those between the ages of 60 and 65”.
Technology could be a key for this growth with 44% and 38% of advisers in Europe and the UK respectively attempting to improve access to technology for clients.
The research also found geopolitics, inflation, and volatility have been ranked as the top three market risks for European and UK financial professionals.
Natixis’ research revealed geopolitical risk as the greatest risk identified by financial professionals with 78% in Europe and 72% in UK mainly due to the Ukraine.
Of the respondents, over two-thirds of financial professionals in Europe (64%) and the UK (68%) recognised geopolitical risk as a top portfolio threat.
Darren Pilbeam, head of UK Sales at Natixis, said: “Geopolitical turmoil and market volatility have resulted in a perfect storm hitting stock markets and investment portfolios.
“In the short-term they’ll need to reset investment strategies for turbulent markets and emotional clients. In the long-term they’ll need to re-evaluate their market assumptions and determine how much the world has really changed if they are to hit their growth expectations.”
© 2022 funds europe
